Just as John McCain was telling
Gen. David Petraeus how worried he is that the US is going to leave
Afghanistan before “the job” is done, the General’s head dropped
onto the desk in front of him: had he passed out from ennui? McCain
had the same effect on the American electorate in 2008. Petraeus blamed
it on not having had breakfast, but, in any case, the US government
seems intent on having Afghanistan for lunch – and what a rich meal
that is going to be! According to a piece by James Risen in the New
York Times, there’s gold in them thar hills!

“The United States has
discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, far beyond any previously known
reserves and enough to fundamentally alter the Afghan economy and
perhaps
the Afghan war itself, according to senior American government
officials.”

Risen, reporting the views
of US officials, goes on to write that the lode is “so big and
include[s]
so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan
could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining
centers in the world.”

“We’re dealing with a
country that could really finance its own reconstruction… The oil
revenues of that country [Iraq] could bring between 50 and 100 billion
dollars over the course of the next two or three years. Now, there are
a lot of claims on that money, but that’s – we’re not dealing with
Afghanistan that’s a permanent ward of the international community.
We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own
reconstruction
and relatively soon.”

As Sarah Palin would put it:
and how’s that Iraq-will-pay-for-itself idea workin’ out for ya?

Eight years later, we are
dealing with Afghanistan, “a permanent ward of the international
community,”
i.e. a US colony, but Wolfie’s words have gone down the Memory Hole conveniently located near every neocon’s work station.

Afghanistan, says an internal
Pentagon memo, could become “the Saudi Arabia of lithium”
– a prospect that, if the Saudi kleptocracy is replicated on Afghan
terrain, bodes ill for the people of that country. Given the truth of
this alleged discovery – one that is by no
means a new one, by
the way – such an
outcome certainly seems
all too likely. A look [.pdf] at Afghanistan’s mining laws –
coincidentally just recently formulated and passed – confirms this
suspicion:

“Article 4: Ownership
of Minerals

“(1) All naturally occurring
Minerals and all Artificial Deposits of Minerals on surface or subsurface of the
territory
of Afghanistan or in its water courses (rivers and streams) are the
exclusive property of the State.

“(2) Mineral operations
shall be conducted in Afghanistan by the State. A Person can also carry out mining
operations
by obtaining a License or Authorization in accordance with the provisions of this
Law.”

This is a perfect set-up for
corruption. Licenses are granted by the Afghan Ministry of Mines,
formerly
headed up by Muhammad Ibrahim Adel, who was dumped by the Karzai regime
after being accused by the US of accepting a $30 million
bribe from the Chinese for a copper mining franchise. His crime, of
course, was that he accepted a bribe from the wrong people: his
successor won’t make the same mistake.

A crude analysis of the
above-cited
mining laws would characterize them as “socialist,” but this really
qualifies as corporatism: government for the benefit of certain
politically-connected
corporations, i.e. the same sort of crony capitalism that currentlycharacterizes the US economy. We’re exporting our system around the
world.

Everything about the Risen
piece screams government disinformation campaign. To take one example:
Risen avers that this “vast” mineral wealth was just recently discovered
“by a small team of Pentagon officials and American geologists.”
As Marc Ambinder points out, however, the Soviets beat the Obama-ites
to the punch by a couple of decades.

The Soviets – who were
themselves
on the way out, although they didn’t know it – were convinced that
by “building socialism” in Afghanistan, i.e. a strong centralized
state, they could exploit the country’s rich natural resources for
their own benefit. In the end the costs proved too great, and the
terminal
crisis of the Soviet system doomed the Kremlin’s puppet government
to a swift demise.

Like the Soviets, the Americans
live in an ideologically constructed alternate universe – one already
colliding with the reality on the ground – which doesn’t permit them
to see the many reasons for their inevitable failure. The Obama-ites
think that by dangling some fool’s gold in front of the American public
that they can forestall growing discontent with the longest war in our
history. This is what they think of us: that we’re just a bunch of
greedy pigs eager to grab what we can from whomever we can. That just
about sums up the guiding philosophy of the current regime.

Citing Jack Synder’s Myths
of Empire, Stephen Walt, writing on his Foreign Policy
blog, debunks what he calls the “el Dorado myth,” making the perfectly
reasonablepoint that we don’t need to control territories rich in
natural resources in order to make economic use of them, engage in
trade,
and otherwise partner with the Afghans to mutual profit:

“Because whoever is in
charge is going to have to sell them to someone and won’t be able to
prevent them from being sold to us (even if indirectly) if we want to
buy (that’s how markets work). And if we want to make sure that U.S.
companies have the opportunity to compete for the opportunity to mine
these resources some day, it might be a good idea if we didn’t spend
the next decade blundering around and angering the local population.”

Yes, but it matters who’s
in charge. If it’s the US, acting through its Afghan sock puppet,
then franchises are going to be doled out to friends of the regime.
There is no market economy in an occupied country: the conqueror
extracts
the spoils of war, in this case from the very soil of Afghanistan, not
as result of any free contract, but due to its preeminent position as
the occupier. There is always a lot of window dressing to prettify this
ugly reality, but in the Afghan case it doesn’t even look like the
occupiers care much about appearances. As Ambinder points out, the
bidding
war started in 2009.

Our rulers don’t at all mind
“blundering around and angering the local population,” just as long
as they and their cronies reap rich rewards, however short-lived and
costly their acquisition. Furthermore, they don’t want just any old
companies competing for the opportunity to mine those resources some
day. Not everyone is invited to the feast. The US/NATO occupiers are
in a perfect position to say “I’m sorry, sir, but those tables are
reserved.”

This dangling of bling is not
only for the benefit of the American people, but also for the Europeans,
who haven’t been all that enthusiastic [.pdf] about doing their duty on the
Afghan front, at least up until now. The Obama-ites are seeking to
entice
them with the prospect of mineral riches down the road, but this promise
is bound to be met with a high degree of skepticism. After all,
Afghanistan
lacks the infrastructure to bring its mineral wealth to market, quite
aside from the difficulties of extracting it to begin with. If the Obama
administration believes they can use the vague promise of future riches
to lure the Europeans into America’s latest nation-building project,
they are very wrong. Aside from overwhelming opposition to the war by
European voters, Obama’s Euro-socialist friendsters are having their
own problems over there – what with Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy,
and Ireland going down the economic sinkhole – with not a lot of
resources
to spare.

The idea that Afghanistan is
going to finance its own reconstruction on account of its mineral
wealth,
or that the US can derive some economic benefit from pillaging those
resources, is a dangerous mix of economic ignorance and brazen
militarism.
In short, this is a rationale for war that fits the current gang in
Washington to a tee.

All of this reminds me of how Soros, as I recall, snatched up some operation in Kosovo on the cheap as soon as the Serbs were conveniently shoved out. Now in Afghanistan, after all these years, and all that ground work the Russians did back in the 80's, we have a lithium "carrot" dangled before our eyes.

Dr.Khan

Mackenna's Gold or El Dorado….just name it whatever you want but one wonder who benefits at the end. The british Empire was here long before and I believe for the same purpose (as per their history of looting nation across the globe) after all who are today's Americans anyway(anglo-saxon), just as with the same lust for the world's wealth to snatch and run.Just remeber what happens in the M Gold end.

If the American morality has dipped so low then what does make them believe that they are any better than other, as by their blessing now we have some of the best thieves and corrupt nations now living just across all borders with Afghanistan why not them have it instead and they will create a mess for the current occupiers that they will not find even a boot in foot when time comes for a run.

As simple I will put it is not as easy anymore to be a cowboy and do things your way.If American with all its advanced tech is not aware of this fact, the world is and therefore no more grabbing looting and running away with it.

Sorry Dr.Khan but you are mistaken-"after all who are today's Americans anyway(anglo-saxon), just as with the same lust for the world's wealth to snatch and run."
Replace "anglo/Saxon" with Ashkenazism,you'd be on track,
"world's wealth to snatch and run"–nonsense! 9 years and counting–Israel firsters are still trying Pirate and loot and hold until Middle East becomes Kosher United States of Israel Empire. KUSi

E. A. Costa

Anglo-Saxon is a language.

In fact it was the British, combining with the Americans in an Anglo-American Empire, that began the emphasis on "Anglo-Saxon" as the "master race" of world empire.

H L. Mencken has a hilarious essay on who the American idiots who identified–and still identify–as "Anglo-Saxon" really are ethnically and racially.

In fact, even in Britain the term is nonsense–the "English", for example, are a very varied racial and ethnic mix. To name all the streams would take a long paragraph.

Jeremiah

Even "old stock" Americans tend to be extremely genetically diverse. Most of my ancestors, for instance, had arrived in the United States by the turn of the nineteenth century; among them were Ulster Scots, English, Welsh, Rhinelanders, French Huguenots, Native Americans and the devil knows who else. The old "pure Anglo-Saxon stock" myth was once cherished in my parts of my state—and, for all I know, still is by certain persons; but it's pure, unadulterated bunk. We're no more "Anglo-Saxon" than Franklin Roosevelt was Dutch.

Of course, Dr. Khan may be referring to America's assumption of the old "Anglo-Saxon" mantle of Empire and Plunder. Imperialism, with its legion of illiberal trappings, is the most destructive of all living Anglo-American traditions, and it has succeeded in eclipsing all those which are rooted in liberalism, constitutionalism and the reign of law. We can only hope that the occultation is a passing one—that there is light and liberty at the end of this dreadful darkness.

NewandExciting

Privatize profits, socialize losses. It's the US modus operandi. United Fruit Company anyone?

bogi666

Socialism for the wealthy, capitalism for the poor and working classes whose tax monies go to the wealthy.

bogi666

The projected cost of the Afghanistan occupation is $3,000,000,000,000 trillion which includes interest on the Treasury bonds which are sold to fund the Pentagon and the CORPORATE WELFARE KINGS. This according to reknowned economist Joseph Stiglitz. Wow, spending $3 trillion for the benefit $1 trillion for the WELFARE KINGS. Such a deal. The WELFARE KINGS will be accorded Pentagon protection courtesy of the American taxpayers.The USG will also likely pay for the infrastucture necessary to extract the loot. The mineral concessions will be turned over to the WELFARE KINGS, which is SOP for the USA, government funds projects and then turns the project over ot the CORPORATE WELFARE KINGS, gratis. I offer to give $1 to all those whom pay me $3. We'll meet at your local IRS office for your convenience.

MvGuy

I have posited that America's No.1 Welfare Queen has [infiltrated &] purchased American Governance and now determines, to a large extent if not completely, the direction of the Ship of State…. E.G. bush neocons,… "O's" first appointment..& re-appointment of bush neocons… Even where NORAD practices I bet…. OOOOO, it's not common knowledge???? I wonder why…?? Perhaps we will merge our perceptions into an unified field theory…. ["Welfare Kleptocracy" ?????]

jon

Wow! All those minerals. How lucky for us that we found them at this very moment. Now we can all drive battery powered cars and save the environment. It just brings a tear to your eye.

Jeremiah

Whodathunkit? The Afghanistan War is about to go GREEN!

john

Great job in recalling that quote from Wolfowitz.
The neocons are always lying through their teeth. As long as the lies hold long enough to justify the next step on the road to war, Wolfowitz and the rest do not care about how big the whopper is. They get their way and they are on to new lies and the next step on the road. Today Iran is being demonized. Tomorrow it will be Pakistan. And then on to China.
It is time for us all to wake up before we are plunged into a disaster of a magnitude never before seen in human history. These people will stop at nothing.
john

Debbie(aussie)

And we are all along for the ride. Wheeeee! (of our life)

We HateU

OBAMA = BUSH

TOSS HIM OUT IN 2012! DO NOT VOTE REPUB.

3RD PARTY.

Jeremiah

It's still a longish shot, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Ron Paul will be willing and able to run in 2012. He's now the *only* reason I'm registered as a Republican in my closed-primary state. My *other* Paul-based reason for remaining so registered has since gone out the window . . . alas.

At the very least, a 2012 Ron Paul run will result in further dissemination of the pro-liberty, anti-empire message.

Good luck

Has anyone seen Petraeus since his incident. I'm getting worried.

BTW, rumor is they found the fountain of youth in …

musings

Interesting to see this spun from the view of a state corruption angle. Well, Africa is full of precedent isn't it? Not to speak of Saudi Arabia itself.

More hell.

Why leave stuff in the ground, when you can take it out by force, with a big military budget. Even though Iraq is not strictly speaking working out on a pay-as-you-go basis in exchange for our protection racket, it is true that Saddam is not sitting on the resources anymore. All those sanctions kept him from using them to get too much bigger, but someone is exploiting them now. We don't know a whole lot about that. Suffice to say, the "little people" (as Mrs. Helmsley used to call those who had not tax shelters) are going to pay through the nose in their inflationary fiat currency, and bind themselves to empire, whether they want it or not.

The sordid decay in America is very plain to the nose these days, after a brief reprieve from the downward spiral. Our "freedom" isn't free just as the saying goes. But what is it that we are free to be when we have lost all privacy and trust? Some people are making out like bandits and not only that, they are seen exactly for what they are but nobody can keep their hooks out of us.

It will take a new perspective to fight this, a paradigm shift. I don't see it.

NewandExciting

One minor point is I think Iraq is paying handsome dividends to certain companies. The longer the boondoggle the more cost plus no bid contracts, the more destroyed or worn out stuff that needs to be replaced, etc… Just because it isn't breaking even for us, the taxpayer, doesn't mean that the situation in Iraq is not working out for the select recipients of government largesse. i.e. those with the right connections.

Over 5000 years ago years ago in mineral rich Afghanistan lapis lazuli was mined in the Badakhshan province of north-east Afghanistan and highly sought after by the Ancient Egyptians. To say that they have "discovered" vast riches of mineral wealth in Afghanistan is such a crock.

Johnny in Wi.

The world is full of minerals. We don't need to go to Afganistan to get them. They belong to the Afgani people anyhow. Let them develop them and get the profits. Didn't we learn enough from listening to the neocons on how Iraq was going to be self financing war?

bogi666

They don't belong to the Afghans any more. The rational among the CORPORATE WELFARE KINGS being: They didn't even know the minerals were here so obviously they won't miss them once we exploit them.

Justin Raimondo is the editorial director of Antiwar.com, and a senior fellow at the Randolph Bourne Institute. He is a contributing editor at The American Conservative, and writes a monthly column for Chronicles. He is the author of Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement [Center for Libertarian Studies, 1993; Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2000], and An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard [Prometheus Books, 2000].